Bowstring releasing device

ABSTRACT

An archery device used to engage, draw and release the bowstring of an archery bow. The device incorporates a hand-held bracket fitted with a flexible cord, one end of which may be wrapped about a bowstring and fastened to a rotary release wheel. A spring biased trigger lever on the device prevents the release wheel from rotating and freeing the flexible cord, until the trigger lever is manually shifted.

United States Patent Wolfe Nov. 4, 1975 [5 BOWSTRING RELEASING DEVICE3,672,346 6/1972 Plumb 124/35 A 3,788,299 1/1974 Mathews I 124/35 A [75]Invenmr' y Wolfe Parkersburgh, 3,800,774 4/1974 Troncoso 124/35 A [73]Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization, Primary Examiner-Richard J.Apley New York, a P Interest Assistant ExaminerWilliam R. Browne [22]Filed: Feb. 19 1974 Attorney, Agent, or Firml-loward I. Podell 21 A l. N443456 PP 57 ABSTRACT [52] us Cl 124/35 A An archery device used toengage, draw and release [51] Int. 19/00 the bowstring of an archery Thedevice incorpo' [58] Field of Search R 24 R 41 rates a hand-held bracketfitted with a flexible cord, 124/35 A 5 one end of which may be wrappedabout a bowstring and fastened to a rotary release wheel. A springbiased [56] References Cited trigger lever on the device prevents therelease wheel from rotating and freeing the flexible cord, until theUNITED STATES PATENTS trigger lever is manually shifted. 2,982,2795/1961 Pursley 124/35 A 3,604,407 9/1971 Wilson 124/35 A 4 Claims, 4Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 v 3,916,868

1 BOWSTRING RELEASING. DEVICE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates a hancl-held archery trigger device that provides the archerwith a mechanical means of drawing and releasing the. bowstring of a bowwith minimal effort. r

The device consists of a bracket, contoured to fit within the hand andfastened to a flexible cord, a thumb actuated trigger which locks arotary release wheel in place, and a rotary release wheel which fastensto the free end of the flexible cord which may be wrapped about thebowstring of an archery bow.

An advantage of my invention is that the device permits the user toadjust the bowstring tension as desired and eliminates the need on thepart of the archer for gloves or other protective accessories.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects and features of theinvention may be understood with reference to the following detaileddescription of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, takentogether with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view showing the invention in the cocked position;

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the invention in the cocked position;and

FIG. 4 is a partial top view enlargement of the invention showing therotary release mechanism after it has been triggered.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now descriptively to thedrawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elementsthroughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates the bowstring triggerdevice which is in the form of a hand-held bracket 26 fitted with fingerholes 21 for ease of grasping. One end of a flexible cord 23 is fastenedpermanently to the bracket 26, with the free end of flexible cord formedin the shape of a closed loop 24 of a size to fit into or slip out of aslot 27 in rotary release wheel 37.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4 release wheel 37 is rotatably fastened to bracket26 by pin 31 and fitted with a radial open slot 27. A projecting spoke18 is mounted on the periphery of wheel 37. A section of the outercircumferential section of wheel 37 is relieved to form a recess 32which may be engaged by the free end 39 of rotatable trigger lever 16.When so engaged, release wheel 37 cannot rotate in the release directionshown by clockwise arrow 44 in FIG. 4.

Trigger lever 16 is rotatably fastened to bracket 26 by a screw 12 andpivotably fastened at the distant end 22 of the lever 16 to a triggerbar 11. A tension spring 42, fastened at one end to bracket 26 isfastened to the distant end 22 of lever 16 to maintain the trigger lever16 in the latched position, except when trigger bar 11 is manuallypressed by the thumb or finger of the user.

In the cocked position, as shown in FIGS. 2-3, the cord 23 is passedaround the bowstring 45 of a bow and the looped end 24 or the cord 23fitted into the slot 27 of the rotary release wheel 37. The wheel 37 isrotated to the cocked position shown in FIGS. 2-3 by manually graspingthe spoke 18. A spring rope guard 49 fits over the open end of slot 27in the closed position toprevent accidental disengagement of ,thecordloop 24 from slot .27 of the rotary release wheel27. Loop 24 is ofsufficient size to ,permitpassing over spoke 18 when the release wheel27 is rotated to the cocked position.

Release of the wheel 27 is effected by applying suffi cient manual forceto the trigger bar 11 to overcome the extension spring 42 preload and torotate trigger lever 16 so as to disengage the end 39 of trigger line 16from the recess 32 of the rotary release wheel 27.

As shown in FIG. 4, release wheel 27 then rotates under the torque ofcord 23 about bowstring 45 to release the cord 23 and bowstring 45 fromthe cord 23.

Since obvious changes may be made in the specific embodiment of theinvention described herein, such modifications being within the spiritand scope of the invention claimed, it is indicated that all mattercontained herein is intended as illustrative and not as limiting inscope.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An archery device for engaging and drawing a bow string of an archerybow and for effectuating a triggered release of a drawn bow stringcomprising,

a bracket of semi-rigid material contoured so as to be grasped by a handof a user, said bracket incorporating,

a flexible cord, one end of which is fastened to the bracket, with thecord terminating in a loop at its free end,

a release wheel rotatably mounted on said bracket, said release wheelfitted with a first means on the periphery thereof to latch the loop ofthe flexible cord in a first position on the release wheel, said meansfreeing the loop of the flexible cord in a second position of therelease wheel when the flexible cord is under tension caused by wrappingthe flexible cord about a drawn and taut bow string and said means isfree to rotate, and trigger mechanism which comprises a lever rotatablymounted to the bracket, which lever engages, in the latched position ofthe trigger mechanism, a second means on the periphery of the releasewheel in the said first position of the release wheel so as to preventrotation of the release wheel, said rotatable lever also rotatablyengaged to a trigger bar which is slidably mounted on said bracket, withspring bias means fastened to the assembly of the lever and the triggerbar to maintain the lever in engagement with the release wheel, suchthat manual actuated sliding motion of the trigger bar serves to rotatethe lever free of engagement with the release wheel, permitting therelease wheel to freely rotate from the said second position under thetorque of the tension of the flexible cord that is latched to therelease wheel, and so'that the flexible cord and a taut bow string isfreed of engagement with the release wheel.

2. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which the free end of thetrigger bar is mounted so as to be accessible to the thumb of a handgrasping the bracket, with sliding movement of the trigger bar away fromthe said free end, when pressed, serving to rotate the engaged lever tofree the lever from the release wheel.

3. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which the second meansconsists of a notch extending from the periphery of the release'whe'elfsaid notchbeing or a and projects radially from said tieribhery,said lever size to engage the loop of the flexible cord. serving as ahandle to enable manual rotation of the re- 4. The combination asrecited in claim} in which a lease wheel from the unlatched to thelatched position. lever is fastened to the periphery of the releasewheel I I so

1. An archery device for engaging and drawing a bow string of an archerybow and for effectuating a triggered release of a drawn bow stringcomprising, a bracket of semi-rigid material contoured so as to begrasped by a hand of a user, said bracket incorporating, a flexiblecord, one end of which is fastened to the bracket, with the cordterminating in a loop at its free end, a release wheel rotatably mountedon said bracket, said release wheel fitted with a first means on theperiphery thereof to latch the loop of the flexible cord in a firstposition on the release wheel, said means freeing the loop of theflexible cord in a second position of the release wheel when theflexible cord is under tension caused by wrapping the flexible cordabout a drawn and taut bow string and said means is free to rotate, anda trigger mechanism which comprises a lever rotatably mounted to thebracket, which lever engages, in the latched position of the triggermechanism, a second means on the periphery of the release wheel in thesaid first position of the release wheel so as to prevent rotation ofthe release wheel, said rotatable lever also rotatably engaged to atrigger bar which is slidably mounted on said bracket, with spring biasmeans fastened to the assembly of the lever and the trigger bar tomaintain the lever in engagement with the release wheel, such thatmanual actuated sliding motion of the trigger bar serves to rotate thelever free of engagement with the release wheel, permitting the releasewheel to freely rotate from the said second position under the torque ofthe tension of the flexible cord that is latched to the release wheel,and so that the flexible cord and a taut bow string is freed ofengagement with the release wheel.
 2. The combination as recited inclaim 1 in which the free end of the trigger bar is mounted so as to beaccessible to the thumb of a hand grasping the bracket, with slidingmovement of the trigger bar away from the said free end, when pressed,serving to rotate the engaged lever to free the lever from the releasewheel.
 3. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which the secondmeans consists of a notch extending from the periphery of the releasewheel, said notch being of a size to engage the loop of the flexiblecord.
 4. The combination as recited in claim 3 in which a lever isfastened to the periphery of the release wheel and projects radiallyfrom said periphery, said lever serving as a handle to enable manualrotation of the release wheel from the unlatched to the latchedposition.